Toxic
by T. Misaki
Summary: Extract: Officer Shima Heideki continued, "The case of your parents has been reopened, and is now being labelled a potential double homicide."
1. Chapter 1

_Toxic_

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 _Chapter 1_

"Usagi-san! Breakfast!" The chestnut-haired student called from the kitchen as he finished plating the freshly cooked fish. He picked up all his landlords breakfast dishes and set them neatly on the table before heading back to grab his own.

Meanwhile, the author had begrudgingly made his way down stairs with his usual dark aura filling the room, his hate for mornings ever present. "Morning." He greeted as he sat at his designated place at the table, he's voice still thick with sleep.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Misaki asked as he passed the older man his chopsticks.

"Would've if you were next to me." He sulked, still clearly unhappy at the youngers choice to sleep in his own room last night.

"I had to finish my assignment, as I told you. The light would have kept you up and you would have distracted me from my work." He replied evenly, quickly praying in thanks for the food before digging in.

"You could have come back after you had finished." Akihiko pouted cutely, his chopstick resting on his supple bottom lip for effect.

"I finished it too late for that." He stated, trying to keep his smile at bay, but failing miserably. Akihiko only laughed quietly as he returned to eating his carefully made breakfast before Misaki spoke up again, "Besides, I wanted to spend the day with you, and I couldn't if I had assignments." He blushed a deep red, refusing to look at Akihiko while still trying to play it cool.

It should have been no surprise that Akihiko was out of his seat in seconds, with his lips covering his young lovers desperately.

This boy never ceased to surprise him.

He manoeuvered his body so he was straddling the students lap, their chests flush together while his hands were placed on both of Misaki's cheeks. He felt Misaki's hands creep up to rest on his hips, drawing him closer still – the action only serving to further arouse him.

"Usagi-san… breakfast…" The student whispered breathlessly between kisses. His older lover only hummed in acknowledgement and began to reluctantly pull away when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"Ignore it." He stated as he peppered the flushed cheeks with kisses, testing to see how red he could get them.

Misaki was just about to give in and forego breakfast when the unwelcome individual knocked again, "Police! Please open the door." Came a deep voice riddled with authority.

The announcement startled the two lovers, who looked at each other worryingly. Akihiko removed himself from the young man's lap and offered him a hand to help him up too. What business did the police have with them? They were good law-abiding citizens! Misaki began to panic, trying to recall anything he could have done that would warrant a police visit.

Sensing his distress, Akihiko placed a hand on his head, ruffling the silky locks in a comforting manner. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing or they would have kicked the door in by now."

Misaki nodded and tried to give him a smile, and while the reassurance helped, his past interactions with the police hadn't been a joyful one as they had come to give them the news that there parents weren't going to come home.

Akihiko unlocked the door and opened it to reveal two police officers, both dressed in the typical uniform with a light blue polo shirt with a dark blue vest with their equipment including a radio strapped to their shoulder, and a gun in a holster to their left sides.

"Can we help you?" Akihiko asked politely, giving to best smile he could muster despite his obvious displeasure at being interrupted.

"Good morning, my name is Shima Heideki and this is my partner Kaiji Souma. Does Takahashi Misaki currently reside here?" He asked, closing the royal blue folder he was looking at and tucking it under his arms.

"You're looking for me?" Misaki asked coming to stand beside his lover.

"Do you have time to talk? We have a bit to discuss actually."

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"Would you like something to drink?" Misaki asked, his hands wrung together out of nervousness.

"Yes, a coffee would be nice, two sugars with milk please." Officer Kaiji replied, "Same for him."

The student nodded and headed to the kitchen to make the drinks, "You've grow up so much since I've last saw you, Misaki-kun." Officer Shima grinned, though his statement thoroughly confused the young man.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" He asked as he returned to the living room with coffee for both the Officers and Akihiko.

"After your parent's accident, you were put in my care while your brother dealt with your parent's affairs and legal documents." He informed, giving a quick thanks for his drink.

"Candy man!" Misaki exclaimed as he's mind clicked with realisation making the Heideki laugh and nod in confirmation, but explained further seeing Akihiko's confusion, "While Nii-chan was dealing with all the legal things, Officer Shima would look after me but he always had some type of candy for me, so I knew him as the Candy man."

"Oh, talking about your brother. We've called him to meet us here since we need both of your permissions." Kaiji informed.

"Our, permission?" Misaki repeated, he's anxiousness rising again, but before he could question further there was another knock at the door. Misaki got up to answer it, knowing it'd be his beloved brother. After their usual greetings, somewhat less enthusiastic given the circumstance, they both sat down across from the Officers with Misaki between Akihiko and Takahiro.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice." Shima nodded toward the older Takahashi in thanks.

"I'd like to apologise in advance about what we're about to discuss as it is a sensitive topic." Kaiji acknowledged, grabbing the worn royal blue folder Shima had held, thick with pages upon pages of documents and information. He unclipped the binder and took out two documents.

"We'll get straight to the point if that's ok," Shima asked, Misaki glanced at his brother in worry, disliking the atmosphere that had settled over the room, and grabbed his lovers hand for reassurance. They all nodded. "We would like your permission to exhume your parent's bodies."

Misaki's breath had audibly hitched and the author's hand had gripped tighter in response. Swallowing, the student force his voice to work, "It's been 15 years, why would you possibly need to disturb their resting grounds?"

A look passed between the two police that the other three didn't miss. "… All those years ago, I had strange feeling concerning your parent's deaths, and a case recently that appears similar in a lot of ways only further cements that feeling." Officer Shima Heideki stated, his expression solemn as a small frown settled on his brow.

"What feeling? I'm sorry, but you're not making any sense." Takahiro also frowned, his confusion frustration him.

"Takahashi-san," Kaiji started, speaking to both of them, "We have reason to believe that your parent's deaths were not just a tragic accident. There is evidence that could suggest foul play."

Shima continued on, "The case of your parents has been reopened, and is now being labelled a potential double homicide."

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 _To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Toxic_

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 _Chapter 2_

Misaki's face drained of its colour and became a sickly white. His parents… had been _killed_? His beautiful, sweet, caring mother had her life taken from her? His protective, strong yet stubborn father's life had to end because of the sick twisted actions of another?

He felt sick. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't want to cry in front of everyone. He'd wait until he was alone.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he tried to put on a brave face. Akihiko removed his hand from his lover's and instead wrapped his arm around the students shoulders to comfort him more. It was reassuring, knowing Akihiko was beside him, that he wouldn't let him go through this alone. He could stay strong if this man was at his side.

"… Can I ask why you think this?" Misaki's voice was strained with withheld emotion, he swallowed thickly, "I don't want to let you disturb their graves because of some hunch."

"That's understandable, Misaki-kun. As I did say, I had a feeling all those years ago that it wasn't just an open-and-shut case. There were things that I thought didn't make sense." Officer Heideki grabbed the file from his partner and reopened it. "There isn't much information since the officer investigating had not suspected foul play at the time, but your father who was the driver of the vehicle, didn't have a single fine against his name. Usually, the people who tend to speed have at least one or two speeding tickets." He began, "The tire tracks are consistent with an individual who had fallen asleep at the wheel or a drunk driver. Their lack of judgement for speed and distance can be seen clearly in the marking on the road.

"These tracks begin further left of the centre of the road, indicating that the driver had realised that he was too far left but unfortunately the street light was just too close, and the driver collided." He explained, laying out pictures of the tire tracks left by their family car.

"Thing is, your father had no alcohol at all in his system, and the chemical Adenosine – which is partly related to drowsiness – wasn't particularly elevated, or at least wasn't high enough for the accident to be classified as a result of fatigue." Kaiji stated. "So even if he had been speeding, he should have been able to control the car much better than he had, regardless of the weather. Since it wasn't particularly heavy rain at that time."

"You mentioned something about other cases?" Takahiro asked, having cleared his throat first.

"Yes, recently there has been another similar case to this one, where a driver has veered off the road but there hadn't been a clear definitive cause. No alcohol, no fatigue, and being early autumn – it wasn't the weather." Kaiji took out a photo of a family of three, "None of them made it."

Misaki was having trouble taking all of this in as his leaned into Akihiko's embrace, his mind trying to comprehend this information.

"However," Shima's voice took on a deeper more serious tone, "During the blood analysis, carbon monoxide was present. Carbon monoxide, or CO for short is an odourless and colourless poisonous gas. How this got into their blood stream, we aren't sure yet, but this investigation is now an ongoing triple homicide."

"… and you believe that our parents have been poisoned by the same gas?" Misaki asked.

"That is correct. CO poisoning can result in symptoms such as dizziness, confusion and blurred vision to name a few. The fact your parent's death had no known cause or factor and with this case coming to attention, we believe that CO poisoning fits with your parent's case perfectly, there is no possible way to confirm it unless we can test a tissue sample."

"It's been 15 years; a decade and a half. I'm not a forensic scientist but I think you'll be pushing it in terms of finding a tissue sample." Misaki stated, his lips purse together.

"Depend on how well the body's preserved itself. We want to at least try. It's a guaranteed march to firing squad if we can pin all five deaths on our suspect." Shima Heideki explained with a small smile.

"Can you tell us who could have done this?" Takahiro asked.

"I'm sorry, but since this is an open investigation, we aren't at liberty to tell you names." Kaiji Souma replied, "But I'll tell you that this person is a known Ex-Yakuza."

"My parents weren't drug users or dealers, nor were they thieves." Misaki firmly stated, straightening his posture and ready to defend his parent's names if need be. "Yakuza keep to themselves and don't bother you as long as you don't steal from them or own them money. Why is an Ex-Yakuza member a suspect?" He demanded.

"Until we investigate further we can not tell you anything else, if Carbon Monoxide is present then we can give you some more information, until then it is still not confirmed. If we give you anything else, we could potentially blow the case." Officer Shima stated regretfully.

Misaki begrudgingly relaxed again, knowing that he wasn't going to get anything more out of them. He grabbed the paper on the table, and quickly gave it the once over, finding it didn't consist of much but that he had to come as a witness to both make sure that it was the right graves and the bodies are handled respectfully along with other general information. Akihiko was reading along with him.

"They have to be there while his parent's graves are unburied?" Akihiko frowned, not liking the idea at all, or the affect it could have on Misaki.

"It is a requirement when the bodies are exhumed, just so that the wrong grave isn't dug up and that the deceased are seen to be handled with respect." They assured.

"What do you think Nii-chan?" Misaki asked.

"… I think we should. The reasoning sounds a little far-fetched, but I want to make sure. I'd rather be wrong and have disrespected their resting places than not do it and a murderer walk free." He stated.

Misaki nodded, agreeing with his brother. He grabbed the pen the officers had placed on the table and signed the document, allowing his parents to be unearthed.

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Everyone left quickly after signing the documents with the officers needing to get back to work and Takahiro needing to Mahiro up from day-care, leaving the couple alone. The previous romantic atmosphere ruined.

"Breakfast went to waste." Misaki mumbled as he neared the table, beginning to clear up the dishes.

"Misa-" Akihiko was cut off with a shake off the student's head; he didn't want to talk. He didn't want to force his lover to talk if he really wasn't ready, but he despised when he bottled up his feelings, unwilling to allow himself to be supported.

"Just… Just give me some time." He exhaled, feeling as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. His body physically heaving with his breath.

Akihiko came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist as Misaki braced himself against the sink. The author placed his head in the crook of the boy's neck and sighed. "I'm here for you. Whenever you need me."

The student took in a shaky breath, moving his hand to rest over Akihiko's while he fought back tears. He blinked rapidly to desperately deter the oncoming waterfalls.

"I know." He whispered, squeezing the appendage wrapped around his waist.

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The rest of the day had been quiet, in a literal sense. Neither had spoken since that morning, both preoccupied with their thoughts. Akihiko had wandered to his office and began working on his next sure to be masterpiece but kept the door to the room open to listen out to his lover.

Misaki on the other was trying to distract himself with chores, even going as far as to rearrange the furniture a few times. He had completed all his homework, assignments and gone over material for the classes three weeks ahead but was slowly running out of things to do.

Deciding to begin making dinner early, he wandered into the kitchen and pulled out various ingredients.

"Why don't we get take away tonight?" The author asked from the top of the stairs, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

The sudden question had started the young man, making him jump, "Um, sure, if that's what you want." He replied, beginning to put away everything he had pulled out.

"You've been busy today, I thought you'd like a break." He walked down the stairs and towards the kitchen. He reached his young lover and placed a hand on his hip, guiding him out of the kitchen and to the sofa.

"I don't mind." He stated quietly as soft pink lips planted themselves on his forehead. "What would you like for dinner then?"

"How about Chinese?" The author suggested, his lips making their way down the teens face.

"Mhm," He mumbled as his mouth was overtaken by his partner. He fell back onto the plush pink couch with his lover following him, the student buried his hands into the silver locks in effort to bring him closer.

The older of the two lowered his body to the boy's slender one, Misaki widened his legs slightly to accommodate his solid frame of muscle until their chests were flush together. Akihiko lifted his hips to push himself into Misaki.

The younger broke the kiss to throw his head back and moan at the contact, Akihiko took the opportunity to trail his kisses down the boy's tan neck and suckling at the fading hickey in the middle to the side of his throat. His favourite place to leave his mark, right where it was too high to hide it which forced the boy to wear his claim.

The author's hand moved to unbutton the student's jeans while Misaki's hands worked on unbuttoning the navy-blue vest.

 _Ring ring –_

" _Fuck me_ ," Akihiko cursed loudly, frustrated at being interrupted for a second time that day he glared darkly at the telephone.

"I'm trying." Misaki retorted bluntly as he pushed the older man off him, also frustrated both physically and emotionally. Akihiko on the other hand, choked on air as he registered what his lover had actually said, still shocked that anything remotely dirty could passed his precious innocent partner's lips.

Wait till he got his hands on that boy, he'd make sure he wasn't going to walk for the next _week_.

"Hello?" He answered boredly, still unhappy at this unwelcome call _. 'Who even calls this time of evening?'_

"Takahashi-san? It's Officer Shima. We talked this morning."

"Oh! Officer Shima, how are you?" He replied, quickly changing his tone to a politer manner. He looked towards Akihiko who perked up at the name, he quickly walked over and put the call on speaker.

"-naged to push the request to exhume your parents through quickly considering there are multiple cases. I'm just calling to let you know that the exhumation process will begin at 11:00am tomorrow morning, I suggest you call your employer to let them know. They'll have to allow you time off since this is a police investigation." He informed.

"Ah, ok. Thank you for letting me know. Is there anything specific I should bring?"

"I'd recommend bringing your parents death certificates just in case."

After the usual pleasantries, they hung up. The uncomfortable atmosphere settled back over the room.

Misaki swallowed thickly and attempted to smile, "So, Chinese?"

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That night Misaki slept in Akihiko's bed, 'no' wasn't an option. Though surprisingly, the student didn't fight the suggestion either, perhaps not wanting to be left alone with his thoughts at the moment.

"You're still awake, Misaki." Akihiko murmured into the back of his neck, he was lying behind the boy chest-to-back, he's arms firmly wrapped around the slender waist of his partner.

"Bit hard to sleep when you're being an octopus." He retorted half-heartedly, but Akihiko only huffed and tightened his grip further. They both knew that his complaint was false, he in fact loved being held by this man, he felt safe and protected in these arms.

"What are you feeling right now?"

"… I'm mostly.. upset." He hesitantly revealed. "Because their graves will be dug up, and that someone else may have played a part in their deaths. I don't feel… intensely sad, like crying, but that could be because it's been so long, or it just hasn't really hit me yet…"

"What else are you feeling?"

Misaki paused, his body tensing slightly, "Nothing."

But Akihiko pressed on, "There is no shame in the way you feel right now, but you have to talk to me. Remember what we discussed? About bottling up our feelings?"

He remembered all too well the hours-worth of conversation they had over talking more – more specifically about Misaki and his 'I-must-not-be-troublesome' obsession.

He sat up and wrapped his arms around his thighs, bringing his knees up to his chest. The effort it took to swallow was great. "I-… I feel a _repulsive_ sense of relief." He choked out, visibly on the verge of tears now, clearly feeling shameful.

Akihiko wasted no time sitting up, dragging to boy into his lap and crushing the him to his chest. "It's ok to feel that. I promise you it's fine."

"I'm so _disgusted_ with myself." He sobbed, tears finally making their way down his cheeks. "Because if this Yakuza guy was involved with it, it'll mean that it wasn't my fault. I feel so sick for thinking that."

Akihiko only held him tightly, "Honestly, I'm hoping that their deaths were because of this guy." He whispered into his lover's chestnut hair. Misaki would finally be able to love freely, without holding himself back. "It's completely normal and ok to feel that. Do you understand?" He cupped the younger man's cheek, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"I… understand." He sighed, sniffling a little and he wiped his eyes on the hem of his lime green pyjama sleeves.

The author placed a sweet kiss on the boy's lips, "I don't want you to go tomorrow." He confessed.

"I know." Misaki chuckled slightly, "But it's a legal requirement, I don't have a choice."

A grunt of displeasure was his only response, "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not."

"I figured as much." Misaki's mouth twitched in amusement at the older man's antics, "I… I need you. I can't go through this alone again." He clenched his teeth as he remembered the agonising memories swelled to the surface of his mind.

"Again?" He questioned as they both laid back down, confused.

Misaki shifted in Akihiko's arms so he was chest-to-chest with his lover, his head tucked under his chin. "When they first passed on, Nii-chan had to go straight into the workforce since we were left with nearly nothing. I'd rarely see my brother because he was so busy. We were forced to grieve separately." He elaborated.

Akihiko closed his eyes as his heart thumped painfully at the thought of his beautiful partner mourning his parents all alone. His hand came up to cup the back of Misaki's head, his fingers tangled in the soft locks, and drew him closer still. "You know you'll never be alone again. I'll never let you. You'll _always_ have me."

Tears gathered in the corners of his emerald eyes as he pulled back from the embrace to look at the author. He said nothing, though leaned up to capture his lover's soft lips. A silent thank you.

It was so deeply intimate. Both of their hearts pounding within their chests, threatening to burst forth. The taste of cigarettes was distinctly present; he felt terrible the man had stressed over him all day but was endlessly grateful for his patience. This time, it was Misaki who dug his fingers into the silver strands to bring his lover closer. Their legs tangling together beneath the thick grey quilt.

Eventually they parted, both leaving languid kisses on the other's cheeks and the corners of their lips, the author kissing away the remaining tears that clung to the boy's long thick lashes. Misaki moved his hand from the man's hair and instead trailed it down his side to rest over the author's waist, while Akihiko's had shifted to the swell of the boy's rear, his other arm acting as a pillow underneath the young man's head.

The student tightened his grip on his partners white sleeping top, "I love you." He whispered, his voice only loud enough for the author to hear, though it was for no one else's ears.

"I love you too." He replied, his voice a comforting rumble lulling Misaki towards sleep. The author started to play with his hair, the soothing action making his eyes grow heavy.

It wasn't long until Misaki drifted off to the world of dreams, Akihiko following him soon after.

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"If at any time you don't think you can do it, you tell me." Akihiko instructed firmly, his grip on the steering wheel tuning his knuckles white. It was clear he was more than uncomfortable at the fact his lover had to be present for the unearthing of his parents. "It's okay if you can't, there's nothing wrong with not being able to do this."

"I _know_. I promise I'll tell you." He replied from the passenger seat. He was trying hard not to get annoyed at Akihiko's excessive worrying, he'd probably feel the same if their positions were swapped.

Misaki reached over and grabbed one of his hands in an effort to calm him, "It's ok. You're there with me, right? Then I'll be fine."

Akihiko didn't reply but he squeezed back firmly.

It didn't take long to arrive at the cemetery, his brother already there with his family.

"Mitaki!" Mahiro cried out in glee as the teen emerged from the car, waddling over to him.

"Hello!" Misaki greeted enthusiastically, reaching down to pick up his nephew under his arms and tossing him in the air making the toddler scream with joy. "Have you been a good boy for Mama and Papa?"

"Mhmm!" He nodded with a giant smile. "Unagi!" He yelled as he spotted the older man appear next to his uncle, reaching his arms out to be taken.

"Hey brat." He greeted, ruffling the child's hair. He had grown fond of the small child over the last two years.

"Hug!"

The author grunted in displeasure but plucked him from his lover's arms anyway, holding the child close like the student had taught him a long while ago.

Misaki chuckled at his partner, he could see that Akihiko adored the child as much as he did – regardless of the "manly" façade he extruded. It was quite the sight, a bubbly boisterous child in the arms of a cold suit-clad man.

"Ok, so everyone is here?" Officer Kaiji asked. "Did you bring the original copies of the death certificates?"

Takahiro flicked through the plastic sleeves in the file he had brought with him and pulled out the official documents, passing them to the officers who nodded in thanks.

"Ok, this is the Environmental Health Officer, Teiko Asuma, who will also be over-seeing this procedure today." Officer Shima gestured over to the man whose presence had escaped everyone's notice. He was dressed smartly, a black suit donned his body, fitting for the occasion, while his pepper black hair was slicked back in a formal manner reminding Misaki of Tanaka in a way.

"Well, lets get on with it, we've dragged it on long enough." The Teiko Asuma stated, sending a small smile at the boys.

Takahiro, Misaki and Akihiko – after handing Mahiro back to his mother – began to walk down the slope toward the cemetery when Officer Shima stopped them, "Only family," He stated looking at Akihiko.

"Usami-san, is family." The student firmly stated, making his boyfriends lips kick up at the corners.

"I'm sorry, but it's only immediate family. Unless you're married into the family, you are required to be blood related." He elaborated, a sympathetic smile aimed his way.

Akihiko and Misaki looked at each other, the young man could tell that this information distressed him greatly, "Hey, I promised remember." He grabbed the man's hands, "If it gets too much, I'll come back to you."

He could clearly see the man still hesitant, "Trust me?"

The author squeezed their interlocked fingers before sighing and nodding.

The student smiled at him, conveying his appreciation, before letting go and continuing his walk down the grassy sloped hill with his brother at his side.

It was a path they both had taken many times before, the heaviness in their hearts, while easing over time, would never truly leave.

"I can see you're happy." The oldest commented, a sincere smile gracing his lips. "I'm glad you're with Usagi-san, I can see the lightness about you that you have never had."

Misaki and Akihiko had finally come clean and revealed their relationship to the student's family. At first, it hadn't been well received by his brother, the young man had thought the worst after Takahiro had briefly cut off all contact between them, but it was Minami who had sorted him out, stating how his behaviour was "disgusting" and "that of a two-year-old". She had even gone so far as to threaten divorce, claiming he wasn't the man she thought she married.

Eventually he had come around to be the protective older brother Misaki had always known, setting the author down to giving him a lecture on how to treat his brother – Akihiko taking great pride in the fact he had essentially been given his blessing.

"I've never been happier Nii-chan." He beamed brightly.

Takahiro chuckled and threw his arm around his shoulders, Misaki doing the same as they approached the burial site of their parents.

"Hi Mama, Hi Papa." Misaki greeted, the usual undertones of sadness obvious. "I'm sorry for what we're about to do, but we can't live with ourselves if we don't know the truth."

They both liked to speak out loud as though they we're right in front of them, it was comforting.

"We won't delay this any further for the sake of the family. Please begin the exhumation process." Teiko-san instructed. The workers that would dig up the grave stepped forward and began to measure the ground around the graves. "They are measuring the parameters, so they don't damage the coffin." The Heath officer explained.

The student swallowed thickly as the first shovel was jammed into the grass and began pulling up the first layers of soil. He had to remind himself that this was also for the sake of another family, someone else's son or brother, daughter or sister, and someone's cousin and niece. They didn't deserve to die, and the family remaining don't deserve the grief and suffering that this tragedy has inflicted. He didn't want someone else to feel the way he had feel when he was seven and all the years following.

I didn't take long for the men to hit the top of the coffin's, both buried within centimetres of each other. The worker's managed to shift the coffin's slightly so rope could slip underneath the ends, allowing them to lift the caskets with ease. It was more respectful than handling their final resting place with dirty hands.

The brothers grasped each other's hand's tightly, supporting the other silently. The sight they would see next would be horrifying.

The lids of the caskets were removed to allow the forensic team to take the tissue samples they needed.

There laid the decomposed bodies of their parents.

All that was really remaining was pale skin on bone, the tissue dried out and receded, lips wasted away to reveal all 32 teeth. Eyeballs rotted away to leave nothing but absent black pits in their face. Hand's withered to the point each individual bone could be seen. Injuries from the crash clearly observable, their father's skull missing a chunk of bone on the right side of his forehead where his head collided with the steering wheel. His mother's nose caved into her face along with her left cheek structure missing, bones broken in the violent ordeal. Their clothing, the outfits he and his brother choose for them to be dressed in, covered in a thick layer of dust and now too big on their frames – shrunken from decay.

Misaki felt sick, he didn't want to see his parents like that. His face turned a sickly pale colour, nausea rising from his stomach as it twist and churned at the sight of what was once he's mother and father. His throat constricted painfully as did his grip on his brother.

He was over whelmed with panic. He couldn't breathe!

The world began to spin as a scream ripped through the air.

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 _*Exhumation process is based on Australia's regulations, however is heavily dramatized and modified for fictional purposed. This is not to be taken seriously.*_


	3. Chapter 3

_Toxic_

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 _Chapter 3_

Blood-curdling screams pierced the air, jolting Misaki back to reality as he looked around frantically, spotting his nephew only five feet away.

He had seen his grandparents. The corpses.

He dashed over to the toddler and swept him up into his arms, holding him tightly with a hand cupping the back of his head, hiding the child's face in his chest.

"Oh, god." He whispered as Mahiro continued to wail, the image certainly burned into the little boy's eyes. Little hands clutched at the black suit Akihiko had bought his lover, his frame shaking in horror.

Takahiro was hovering other the two, his son firmly attached to his brother.

"I'll head back up, he doesn't need to be around this. Will you be ok?" The student asked, rocking his body back and forth trying to calm the child.

His brother nodded and Misaki walked hurriedly back toward the parking lot, it was no surprise to see both Minami and Akihiko running at him at full speed; both for different reasons.

"Mahiro! Oh, my sweet baby boy," His mother anxiously cooed and tried to take him from his uncle's arms, but the boy wasn't having it. The toddler was hyperventilating at this point, coughing and spluttering as he struggled to get air in; going into a state akin to a panic attack.

"Mahiro, I've got you, you need to calm down or you'll make yourself sick. Look at me," The young man gently encouraged, his tone sweet and calm, cutting through the child's hysterical cries. The small boy did as he was told and slowly lifted his head to peer into Misaki's eye's, "Breathe with me. In… Out… In… and out..."

They continued this for a few minutes until Mahiro was finally calm, well, at least no longer screaming, his little body was still trembling.

His mother tried to lift him from the teen's arms again but Mahiro wouldn't let go, "No!"

"Mahiro, your Mama is very worried. You ran off and she didn't know where you were. Why don't you give Mama a cuddle to make her feel better?" He suggested, figuring the momentary terror of losing her child was still present and wouldn't calm until her child was back in her arms.

He sniffled before finally unlatching himself and reaching out for his mother.

The student's arms were empty for all of two seconds, before his author was clutching at him, "I thought you had screamed, and… and… oh god. I…" He couldn't express the terror he felt in that instant. Barely able to formulate coherent words.

"Honestly, I thought it _was_ me that screamed." He confessed, hugging the man back tightly. He let out a shaky breath as he wedged his face into the crook of the man's neck, the man's scent calming.

"You promised you'd come back if it was too much!" Akihiko yelled, suddenly angry.

"I was about to drag Nii-chan back with me. If you saw…" Tears budded at the corners of his eyes, he quickly wiped his eyes, "I have to go back, I can't leave Nii-chan to watch that on his own."

"I'll come back with you, fuck the regulations." He stated, placing an arm around his waist as they began to slow walk back the way he came. "I'm proud of you, Misaki."

The student chuckled, "I don't think I've done anything to warrant your pride."

"I disagree." A kiss was placed on the mop of chestnut coloured hair.

They wandered up to where Takahiro was standing when the Asuma-san approached them, "You were told specifically, _only_ family. Please return to the parking lot before I have you removed, this is a legal matter."

"And I had specifically told _you_ he _is_ family." The student retorted, a frown settling on his forehead, the mixture of emotions swirling within him and emerging as anger.

"He is not directly related to the deceased, nor is he married into the Takahashi family, he is not permitted to be here." The Health officer stated more firmly, also becoming frustrated at the lack of compliance.

Misaki hissed in annoyance before gradually smirking, "Oi, Asswipe!" He called out, making Asuma-san look over. He grabbed his boyfriend's neck tie and slammed their lips together. Akihiko was quick to get over his initial shock and melted into their lip-locking, his hands trailing down their familiar path to the boy's ass, giving the firm muscle a good squeeze.

The student opened his eyes to look directly at the slack-jaw audience, for once not caring about other's opinions and grinned at them, his author continuing to place kisses on the side of his lips and cheek, oblivious to the spectators.

" _Family_." Was all he said before Misaki pulled Akihiko by the hand and strutted past him proudly.

"Please don't make tease me." Akihiko whispered huskily into the boy's ear.

"No promises," He winked.

The forensic team had got what they needed and had left already, the caskets were closed again, and dirt was being pile back on coffins.

"So that's the last memory I'll ever have of my parents. Fantastic." He stated sarcastically. He knew that he'd never be able to think of his parent's again without the horrific images of their decomposed bodies entering his mind too. "I hope this wasn't all for nothing. Not that I hope they were murdered but I don't want us to have those images burned into our brains for no reason either."

Akihiko hummed in understanding, feeling that his lover was more so talking to himself out loud than to him.

"Takahashi-san, thank you for your co-operation, we'll be in touch in the next few days to let you know the results from the lab testings." Officer Kaiji addressed the brothers, indicating that the process was over.

Neither replied as they gazed at their parents.

"We did the right thing." Takahiro stated with conviction, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "I'm sure they understand."

"I hope we have."

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.

"Misaki please eat something. You barely ate breakfast and you've skipped lunch, you need to eat dinner." The author pleaded as he watched Misaki push his food around with the tip of his chopstick.

"I'm not hungry." He hadn't had much of an appetite for obvious reasons, anything he ate would more than likely come back up minutes later at this point.

"Just a couple of mouthfuls." He begged, "For me?"

Misaki swallowed thickly and nodded slowly. For Akihiko, he would try.

The man across from him tried to distract him from his thoughts by asking about school and other various topics. It helped a bit as he managed to finish most of his fish and a few mouthfuls of rice. The author left a lingering kiss on his forehead; a small reward, he could feel the relief from his lover roll off him in waves through the action. Misaki lowered his head, feeling shameful in how he was worrying Akihiko.

Akihiko, though uncharacteristic of him, helped with the dishes that night, feeling the need to be close to his partner and Misaki, while he'd never admit it, needed this closeness and support.

After the night time chores had been done, Akihiko wordlessly guided him upstairs toward the bathroom and turned on the shower faucets, adjusting to a hotter temperature than he would usually soak himself in because he knew Misaki liked the scalding temperature.

Though it surprised him when the young man reached past to turn it down a little, "You'll keep me warm right?" He smiled at his lover, Akihiko smiling softly in response.

Quickly showering together, it wasn't long before they were both in bed, both holding the other tightly.

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During the night they had rolled apart, though never far from the other, Akihiko subconsciously seeking his touch with a hand or leg. So, when Misaki began fidgeting in his sleep, it had roused Akihiko from his slumber. He placed a large hand on his lover's head and began to lazily ruffle his locks to sooth him back to sleep.

It seemed to work as the boy appeared to calm and cease his movements, so it rightfully terrified him out of his wits when horrific, hair-curling screams clawed their way out of his partners throat.

The author sprung into action and pinned down the boy's arms since he was trying to claw at his own face, and manoeuvered his body to sit on his lover's flailing legs.

"Misaki! Wake up!" He yelled over the top of the wailing, shaking his shoulders, but the boy wouldn't wake.

Tears streamed down the tan skin of the student's cheeks as he was stuck in the grasp of his nightmare. He began to hyperventilate, struggling for air as he fought his invisible demons.

Tears budded in the corners of the authors eyes as he watched Misaki helplessly, barely able to stomach the sight of his lover in such a state, but relief hit him as the young man's eye sprung open even as fear was still evidently present.

"Baby, it's me, sweetheart. You're okay. It's ok, I'm here. I've got you." He cooed softy, brushing the stray strands of hair clinging to the clammy, sweat-soaked skin of his forehead.

Misaki was still in a panic, eye's frantically searching the room as though he wasn't aware he had woken up yet.

It startled the older man when he was suddenly pushed back as his young partner dashed for the bathroom, with the small portion he had managed to eat of his dinner coming back up seconds later. Akihiko was there instantly, holding his hair back as his head hung over the porcelain toilet bowl.

"S-Sorry," Misaki whispered, his tone saturated in shame. He couldn't meet his lover's eyes after that display. He ripped off a square of toilet paper to wipe away the acidic bile remaining on his lips.

Akihiko dropped a kiss to the back of his neck, "It's okay."

The student got up from his place on the ground, but his legs were unsteady and weak, trembling in effort to hold his weight. He nearly came crashing back down, but a strong arm around his waist supported his frame for him.

With help, he managed to make it to the sink to brush his teeth to remove the vile burning taste in his mouth. His throat felt like he had been screaming for hours, he assumed his cries in his dream weren't all in his head as he had hoped. Misaki felt awful for waking his lover in such a way, knowing how protective and caring he was of him, he was no doubt upset at it.

Rinsing his mouth out, Akihiko then picked him up underneath his knees and carried him back to bed, arranging him to be chest to chest and crushing the slender frame to him. Misaki didn't hold back as he brutally locked lips with his man, desperate for physical reassurance, the dream still all too fresh in his mind.

Akihiko met him with just as much vigour; he couldn't hold the teen tight enough.

"Talk to me." He managed to get out as they broke for air.

"You were- oh god, you- you were _gone_." Misaki brought up a shaking hand to cover his mouth to stifle any noise trying to escape as tears began anew. "When they opened the coffin, it wasn't-" He broke off as a sob made its way past his lips. "It was you. It wasn't my parents it was _you_."

Misaki was nearly in hysterics again as he tried to explain, Akihiko didn't know how to comfort him exactly. He could only imagine the absolute horror he'd feel if it was Misaki who he saw.

 _He should have gone with him._

"Misaki, look. I'm here, I'm never _ever_ going anywhere." He placed his lover's trembling hand on his chest above his thumping heart, much like he did the first time he expressed his feelings to the boy many years ago. "Feel that? I'm _here_."

It seemed to work as the young man's inconsolable cries slowly became sniffles. Misaki shifted his hand from the place on the man's chest to cup his cheek, bringing his face back down to his own. Placing languid kisses to the author's lips, his hand work on the draw string of his trousers.

"Misa-"

" _Please_. I _need_ this." He interrupted, sensing the man's hesitance. But he needed this closeness, this sense of security that he always got when he was intimate with this man.

Akihiko seemed to understand as he shimmied out of his pants and began working on his lovers; neither wore t-shirts to bed.

Their bodies moved in harmony, dancing together under the light sheet. Misaki widened his legs to accommodate his lover's hips, keeping their frames aligned. Lips never left the other's body for long, between stealing its partner's breath and leaving little trails of love caressing their skin, they were never far away. Hands holding the other close, trailing over the dips and curves they knew all too well on the other frame.

Skin on skin never felt so intimate, his body so alert to the touch it's lover, the sensation of the man's skin gliding over his own as a sheen of perspiration coated their torso's.

Akihiko reached between them, finding the young man's entrance and began to loosen the tight orifice, his fingers slicked with lubricant he always had on the bedside table.

It didn't take long to prepare him since Misaki's body had grown used to the action with how sexually active they were.

Slowly, he eased himself in, his forehead resting on Misaki's as he held him tightly, the boy reciprocating the action. They shut their eye's and just let themselves _feel_.

His thrusts were unhurried and deliberate, his hips never pulling far. He kept his hands under his lover's rear to angle them upward, allowing for closer contact.

Their orgasms snuck up on them, the curling of the coil sudden.

Misaki threw his head back as his body shuddered in time to his pulsing manhood as it expelled the last of his cum, Akihiko's head tucked under Misaki chin as he came inside his lover.

Misaki sighed as he came down from his high, he snuggled into the large frame laying on top of him for warmth as exhaustion began to creep up on him. He fought the fatigue, not wanting to fall back into the same dream to witness his lovers decomposed body.

"Go to sleep, I'm right here. I'm not letting you go." The author voice rumble through him, clearly on the brink of sleep as well.

He smiled, Akihiko always looked after him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He felt the pressure of the man's lips on the crown of his head.

Finally giving into the temptation, he let his eyes slide shut as he once again drifted to sleep in his lover's arms. This time, nothing but good dreams occupied his mind.

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 _This chapter's purpose is to establish the effect of the exhumation had on Misaki. I like these sweet moments between these two as it provides a good base to demonstrate their bond, but I'd like my readers opinion on it as well. Please leave your opinions in the review bar._

 _ **Next Chapter**_ _– The results are in! Was this truly just a tragic accident or did the hand of man play a role in this horror?_


	4. Chapter 4

_Toxic_

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 _Chapter 4_

It was late in the morning before either awoke, both exhausted from their late-night _activities_. The shrill of Misaki's phone disturbed their slumber, making the owner groan in frustration before he answered it.

"Hello?" He rolled back into his lovers embrace, voice thick with sleep. He didn't have the energy to even open his eyes.

"Ah, Takahashi-kun. Sorry to disturb you, but I'm calling to inform you that the lab results are in, we managed to push them through yesterday and had the samples tested immediately." Officer Shima stated, he too sounded exhausted. Misaki didn't want to think of what they would have gone through to get it done so quickly.

"Ok, thank you for letting me know. Should I come down to see the results?" He asked, sitting up. The news spiking his anxiety and over-riding his fatigue.

"Yes, if you could come down in the next two, two and a half hours, that would be great. I want to sort this out as soon as possible, I'd rather not drag this out any longer for you or your brother." He expressed, and Misaki was grateful for the thought.

He really wanted this over, so he could move on with his life.

"Thank you for your concern, I appreciate all you've done for my family and I." He heaved a sigh, his heart felt so heavy, weighed down with years of guilt, the student's eyes watered.

He didn't know how much more he could take.

If it came back that nothing was in the samples, it'd just confirm that he was the cause of his parent's deaths, that his selfish phone call was what ruined his families lives.

He wasn't too sure if he could handle that.

Officer Shima told him that he'd inform his brother of this as well before hanging up. Misaki lazily tossed his phone on the bed and curled in on himself, burying his face in his hands and breathing a deep sigh, his back facing his lover. It startled him when strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, but he quickly relaxed into the hold.

"The lab results are in. We have to be at the station in two hours. Nii-chan will meet us there."

Akihiko didn't reply but kissed his lovers back, "We'll get through this. No matter what the results are. We'll be ok."

The conviction held in the man's velvet voice could almost convince him that that was true.

 _Almost_.

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"Misaki! Didn't you sleep at all last night!?" Takahiro exclaimed, worry evident as he hovered around the younger Takahashi.

' _Waking up screaming from a nightmare and refusing to go back to sleep because you don't want to see your boyfriend's corpse again doesn't do wonders for the skin, Nii-chan._ ' He wanted to reply, his foul mood a result of his exhaustion and anxiety wearing him out, but settled on saying, "I got enough."

The young man could see his lovers concerned expression from the corner of his eye making him wonder how bad he actually looked, he didn't take notice of his face this morning. Slightly preoccupied with other things.

"We should book a holiday once this is over. All over us." Akihiko remarked, coming up beside him.

"You should do your work… Speaking of which, I haven't been getting calls from Aikawa-san about your manuscripts lately." Misaki mentioned, a puzzled expression marring his adorable face.

"I told her what was going on when this first came up, I needed to support you and you are my first priority over everything else. She understood after I explained the situation, and we've agreed to put me on hiatus until this is finished." The author calmly stated, an arm snaking around his lover's waist.

Misaki's throat tightened with overwhelming emotion, his cheeks heating to a gorgeous pink. _God_ , he loved this man.

They were so caught up in their own little bubble that they didn't see the smiles on Minami and Takahiro faces at the interaction. The elder brother once again mentally berating himself for ever coming between them. At first it was hard to accept, the thought of his best friend and brother together was hard to wrap his head around but looking at moments like these it wasn't hard to fathom at all. Their love was virtually endless and whether they both admitted it or not, the adoration they held for each other was clear.

Takahiro cleared his throat, making the other two jumped, "I think it's time to go in."

"Ah, yeah... I guess so." The student agreed hesitantly. His gaze cast to the ground.

"Misaki?"

The young adult put on a forced smile and chuckled lightly before heading inside, the others watched on in worry.

"How's he been?" The older Takahashi asked quietly.

"He's been having nightmares. If the result comes back as nothing, I don't think he could handle that." Akihiko stated as he looked after his lover's form.

' _What a mess._ '

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It wasn't long before they were seated at Officer Shima's desk, the man himself printing off numerous documents for them to look at and sign.

"Oh, how's Mahiro doing after the whole… seeing-his-grandparent's incident?" Misaki asked running his fingers through his hair as he nodded to the child sleeping on his mother lap, it was keeping his hands occupied and trying to make himself slightly more presentable.

"He's ok. We just spent the rest of the day playing with him and letting him have free rein of the house to distract him. He only woke up once, but he was in our bed after that." Minami answered, "He didn't sleep too well, but we think that was just because we let him have a little _too_ much junk food." She laughed.

"Thanks for waiting." Officer Shima walked in arms full of paper. The load making a loud thud as it hit the desk. The man stretched before sitting down and began shuffling the documents around. "Ok, I'm passing you the result from the lab and the written report from our forensic scientist. I'll explain it as we go along."

Everyone grabbed the paper handed to them and began flipping through. The was a line graph on one page and a long essay report on another along with various other sheets containing formula's and explanations of each Misaki could vaguely remember seeing in chemistry class years ago.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice, I'd like to start by apologising in advanced for how we'll discuss your parents, I know won't be easy to talk about them in the form of test results and body tissue but to explain what we've got back, it's a necessity." He begun, everyone nodded quietly. "Now, unfortunately with your father-"

"No," Akihiko interrupted, cutting the officer off. "Don't start with his results, start with their mother's." He glanced sideways at his lover, his concern apparent.

Misaki slowly looked between both of them, his anxiety rising. What did Akihiko not want him to hear? Did he understand the results? What was wrong with his father?

The officer seemed to understand and went to continue on but was again interrupted.

"Unfortunately what?" Misaki asked frantically, eyes wide and fear surfacing. The authority in the room shook his head, but the student pressed on, "Unfortunately _what_?"

Officer Shima sighed, "Unfortunately… no abnormalities could be detected in your father's sample, as far as tests go, no suspicious substances were detected."

The mans voice seemed to echo loudly in the young man's head, _'If… If there was nothing... then... it really was all my fault.'_ He… he had killed his parents. There was no denying it now, the papers in his hands were screaming it.

He could vaguely register someone saying something to his right, but he couldn't understand their words. It felt like his ears were stuffed with cotton wool, his body felt heavy… so heavy… He didn't have the strength to move, to scream, to cry, though he desperately wanted to.

' _I'm the reason they're dead!'_ Why did he have to be so _selfish_!? Why? Why? Why? _Why?_!

"-saki, snap out of it!" Akihiko's words finally broke through the wall of self-loathing along with the sharp shake to his body. "Misaki?" The authors words lost the frantic panic they had been doused in moments ago, now hesitance and a tinge of fear audible.

Misaki slowly looked up, removing his hands from his ears and sat up a little bit. Akihiko was kneeling in front of him, his cold large hands gripping his shoulders tightly as his torso pressed against the student's knees. A hand moved from his shoulder to the side of his head, covering his own.

"Listen to the results." His tone was firm and commanding. "I know what's going through your head and it's not true." The author rest his forehead against his lovers, his purple eyes not once leaving the green of his boyfriends.

"Ok," He replied shakily, wiping a tear that had tracked its way down his cheek. Akihiko's hand circled around Misaki's tightly as he slowly returned to the chair beside him. Takahiro, who was hovering to his left, returned to his chair, also grabbing his baby brother's hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"As I said, there was no carbon monoxide in your fathers' sample, but it's also noted in the report that the decomposition rate of your father's body was observed to be much further progressed than your mother." He continued on hesitantly, wary of the boy's reaction. "In your _mother's_ sample however, which we took from inside her chest cavity, there was a decent amount of the gas detected. Our forensic scientist was able to put together a graph that roughly estimates the rate of decay for your mother's body and comparing that the known rate of decay for carbon monoxide gas in the human body, we are able to say definitively that your mother would have contained or have been exposed to a lethal dose of carbon monoxide at the time of her death. This level would have been over the standard accepted lethal dose of 100ppm."

Everyone in the room was silent, Akihiko's eyes were focused on his lover whose expression he couldn't decipher.

"Takahiro-san, Misaki-kun. Your parent's deaths were not an accident, but Misaki-kun," He paused and waited for the boy to look at him, when he did he smiled kindly, "It was in no way your fault. If anything, you should be glad you made that call, your parents got to hear from their precious son one last time."

The dam broke and tears rushed down the younger Takahashi's cheeks. Relief and sadness overwhelming him. He sobbed into his hands as both men tried to console him, both of their eyes unmistakably glistening with unshed tears for him. This weight of his guilt he had carried for 15 years had finally lifted.

"Misaki-kun, do you remember the phone call you made to them?" The boy nodded through his cries, "You told me that your family always said 'I love you' before hanging up, remember? You got to tell them you loved them, and you got to hear that they loved you. Never forget how much your parents loved you, Misaki-kun."

That sent the boy back into hysterics, 'thank you's' barely coherent through his cries, and the older Takahashi now sobbing along with him.

' _It wasn't my fault.'_

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	5. Chapter 5

_Toxic_

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 _Chapter 5_

It was a little while before everyone was calm enough to continue their conversation, Misaki having wandered off to the bathroom with Akihiko in tow who very passionately comforted him as much as he could.

He came back a little more flushed and lips a little more swollen than when he left.

"Are you ok, Misaki?" Takahiro asked as they returned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, at his brother's sceptical look he added, "I _promise_ , Nii-chan."

At that moment, Officer Shima returned with more paperwork and another coffee in hand. "Right, now we're all back… I'll discuss our next steps." Everyone went back to their seats, each couple hand-in-hand, "So now we have a definitive answer, we need to pin it on our suspect. Again, I can't mention much about them because it may blow the case, but we need a way to link them to your parents and find a motive. The only way we'll be able to do that is with proof that this person tampered with the car."

"The cars been crushed up though, it was totalled in the crash, so it couldn't be salvaged." Misaki stated quietly, his thumb gently caressing the back of Akihiko's hand.

"Actually, it was picked up by an educational display to demonstrate what happened if the driver fell asleep. Obviously that not the real case but it's an effective visual." The authority explained.

"They aren't going to see that." Akihiko declared firmly, leaving no room to argue, "They've been through enough, I won't let you put Misaki through any more trauma by having to see the car they died in." A deep frown settling on his face and his hand tightening its grip on Misaki's.

"That's understandable, it was optional whether they wanted to be present at the transfer of the vehicle anyway." The officer stated, unfazed with the authors tone as he continued to flick through paper.

"I wouldn't be able to attend anyway, not that I want to, I've taken too much time off work already and I've dragged my family through enough. I'd appreciate if we could be left out of it as much as possible from now on." Takahiro politely requested, a strained smile on his face as he recalled how the last event ended with all three of them, including his baby son, traumatised.

"That's fine. We'll do our best to involve you both, and your families as little as possible, some things may be unavoidable, but we'll keep it to a minimum." The officer agreed, closing the thick files of information. He stood, and everyone followed suit, extending their hands to express their gratitude and saying their goodbyes before exiting the station.

"Lunch anyone?" Misaki asked.

"We'd love to, but Minami's parents are coming over today for afternoon tea soon." His brother smiled apologetically, bouncing the bubbly baby on his hip. "You clearly need some sleep too, go home and relax you two."

The young student was too tired to argue and simply nodded, "That sounds like a good idea, have fun and drive home safely." He said, a yawn punctuating his reply.

"Come on, I'll pick something to eat up on the way home." The author promised as they all parted ways, guiding his exhausted lover into his seat, receiving a hum of agreement in response. He headed around to his side and got in, starting the car up. "How about you get a good night's rest now you can stop mulling over this for a while, then tomorrow, you and I can go on a well-deserved date, how's that sound? The movies, or we can head to one of the Usami holiday houses?"

Misaki gazed at his boyfriend through sleep-heavy eyes that regard him with nothing but love and appreciation, "That sounds really good, but I'm happy with anything you choose. As long as you're there, it'll be perfect."

Akihiko swallowed thickly, his throat tightening with emotion and his heart fluttering in his chest. For once, it was he who was lost for words, Misaki never ceased to surprise him. He reached over to grasp the young man's hand tightly, " _I love you."_ He whispered breathlessly.

"I love you too." He replied before drifting off to sleep.

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It was nearly eleven o'clock at night, after they had arrived home, Akihiko had carried his young lover up to their apartment where he lay them both down on the master bed they shared until Misaki woke up sometime later. After eating, Misaki decided to have a hot bath to melt the stress of the day away but he was only succeeding in working himself up.

He sat there until the water became lukewarm, his head burrowed in his knees and hands tangled in his silky locks.

Misaki wasn't at all surprised when the bathroom door opened and Akihiko entered the room, neither were ever separated long and Misaki had been in the bath for a while – his fingers were becoming wrinkly. If one was gone too long, the other naturally sort them out.

"I knew I'd find you like this." He stated as he began to undress.

"Like what?"

"Brooding." He chuckled lightly as he sat down, the author shivered at how cold the water had become and dragged Misaki into his embrace. "Misaki you're freezing." He hissed at the temperature difference of their skin that had him reaching for the hot water tap.

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. You're going to get sick." He kissed the young man's forehead. "What's upset you?"

Those words were the catalyst, he heaved a sob before burying his head into Akihiko's collar bone. The socialite tightened his hold immensely. "Why would someone do that? What could've they possibly done to deserve that?"

"There's lots of sick people in this world Misaki. No one as loving and kind as your parents were deserve such a thing, I don't know why someone would do that, but I promise I'll do anything I can to catch the bastard."

Misaki sniffled and nodded.

Akihiko went about washing both their hair – despite the protest of his partner – and got them both out. They both dried and dressed before heading to bed, cuddling each other close as they drifted off to sleep.

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End file.
